A simple game with items on hand.

In August, I will be attending the Carlisle Country Craft and Old-Fashioned Market that is part art/craft show but also includes family games, costumes, food and drinks, animals and demonstrations of old-fashioned and pioneer skills.  I'm in the process of getting some of the games ready for the village green, and thought I would share the first one since it would be a great indoor or outdoor activity for any event (including an "I'm bored" day).

In keeping with the theme of the event, I have kept it as old-fashioned as possible by using the fruit buckets. Note: If you are making this at home, you could easily swap out shoe boxes, mixing bowls, or whatever you have on hand.

The "points" tags are made of leftover bits of felt and pieces of a ruined wool sweater.  I just drew out some numbers (on paper)  until I was happy with the size, traced them onto the felt, cut them and hand-stitched them onto the front circle of felt.  The backing is a second piece of felt.  The two circles are blanket-stitched together to hide the stitching of the number and make it a little more durable.
Note:  My tags have to be weather proof as the event is held rain or shine.  If you  are using this game indoors, you could simply draw the numbers on to a card stock tag.

The bean bags are made of some old children's shirts.  I found the ideal size to be 4 1/2" squares filled with 2/3 of a cup of dried beans.  With 4 patterns, children can play alone, against an opponent, or even in teams.

I did make some smaller squares (3 1/2") that were filled with only 1/3 of a cup of dried beans.  If I can find one more bucket, I will pair the smaller bean bags with it as a "target practice" or solo play.
Note: If you are using this game last minute, you can easily make quick bean bags using small children's socks filled with beans and tied firmly shut with yarn.

Linking up with: Fiber Arts Friday on Wisdom Begins in Wonder
                         Creative Friday at Natural Suburbia
                        The backyard Farming Connetion

A one-piece Log Cabin "quilt" block

For some time now, I have been meaning to try my hand at making a knit quilt block with some of my left over bits of yarn.... a one piece quilt block that I wouldn't have to sew a million seams on.

Ta-da.  If you knit it in cotton, I think it would make a great dishcloth.  If you knit a bunch of them, you could sew them up together to make a scarf or a blanket.  If you continue on with the pattern, you could make a crib sized log cabin block without having to sew all those pieces together...

So, without further ado...the pattern:

-I used Bernat Satin worsted weight yarn because that's what I had to use up.  One ball of each colour will make several blocks, or you can use just one colour, or you can just use up little scraps.
-4mm needles- 2 for knitting and a few extras for holding the stiches while you work the next section
-One each 2", 3" and 6" stitch holders
-Gauge:  12 stitches and 24 rows in garter stitch is a 2" x 2" square.  Gauge is not terribly important unless you plan to make a blanket...then you just want to make each square the same size.

Cast on 12 stitches of colour A.
Knit in garter stitch for 22 rows.  Break yarn.
Continue knitting in garter stitch, using colour B, for 12 rows.
Transfer all 12 stitches to 2" stitch holder.
Turn work counter-clockwise.  Pick up 18 stitches along right side of work, starting with 6 stitches of colour B and then 12 stitches of colour A, as below:

 

I used a larger stitch holder in this picture.  Use whatever size you have for the small pieces.

Note:  It is important to pick up the stitches in the correct direction to make sure the colour changes appear on the back side of the work.  Although you pick up colour B first, you will knit the colour A stitches first.

  

This is how the colour changes will appear on the back of your work.

 

Note 2:  If you are making a block in one solid colour, reverse the directions as the colour change will not affect your piece, and you will have fewer ends to weave in, if any.

Knit the 18 stitches you picked up using colour C and continue knitting in garter stitch for 12 rows.  

Break yarn.

Transfer the 18 stitches of colour C to a 3" stitch holder.  Turn work counter-clockwise.

Pick up 6 stitches along the edge of colour C and 12 stitches of colour A as shown below:

Knit using colour D, in garter stitch, for 12 rows.  Break yarn.
Transfer the 18 stitches to a stitch holder.   Turn work counter-clockwise.

Pick up 6 stitches of colour D, 12 stitches of colour A, and 6 stitches of colour B.  Knit the 24 stitches in colour E for 12 rows of garter stitch.  

At this point, I stopped transferring the stitches to stitch holders because I ran out of them, quite frankly.  I had extra 4mm needles, so I just left them in place to hold the stitches as I continued working.  Use whatever feels best for you.

Turn work counter clockwise.  Pick up 6 stitches of colour E, transfer the stitches from the stitch holder to your knitting needle, and then pick up 6 stitches of colour C.
Knit 12 rows in garter stitch of desired colour.

Continue along in the same manner until your "quilt block" is the desired size.  The instruction that follow are for binding off an 8" square.

Binding off:  Using the yarn you choose for the border, bind off the 48 stitches of the last row (the row currently on the needle) leaving the last new stitch on the needle to use in turning the corner.

Turn your work clockwise and pick up 6 stitches from the top edge (as pictured on the top needle, above).  Bind off the 6 stitches and then continue binding off the rest of the row (if you are using a stitch holder, you will have to transfer the stitches to a knitting needle to bind off).

 

Turn your work clockwise and pick up 6 stitches.

Bind off those 6 stitches and continue binding off the rest of the row.  Repeat for the last side of the block, picking up and binding off the last 6 stitches to complete the border.

 On the back side, weave in the ends as neatly as possible.  

 The ends should just about disappear.

 Now, why not make a few more to make up a scarf?  Or a "quilt"? 

Linking up with:  Yarn along at small things
                          Stash Bash at Crunchy Catholic Momma
                          Permanent Homeskills linkup at the Backyard Farming Connection
                          Home acre hope # 9 at the self sufficient homeacre
                          Eat Make Grow at Pocket Pause 
                          Fiber Arts Friday at Wisdom Begins in Wonder
                          Creative Friday at Natural Suburbia

From the Kiln

 

Before Christmas holidays, I missed a week of pottery, so I had to wait until last night to get my pieces.

It felt like a mighty long wait, let me tell you.

 

 A Brie baker/small casserole and a kinda jumbo candle holder.

I love making candle holders - and they are almost always glazed in Kaki (above).

They look old-fashioned to me that way.

 Brushwork on a pitcher - I guess I went a little heavy on the green.

Using a community studio, you never know how the oxides will be mixed - I was expecting it to be quite light like the brown I used the week before.

 There are actually 8 bowls...my son used another blue one for breakfast, and 4 are not yet glazed.  I love the way the colour turned out on the inside (2 each of 4 colours by the time I get them all) so I kind of regret glazing the outside in Ferguson Yellow - but I did it so they would co-ordinate with the set of mugs I made - with a little surprise on the inside.

A pitcher for things like pancake batter.

I really liked how the glaze turned out on the inside rim of this one...but wait, what's that?

 

 What.is.that?

 

One of the unexpected surprises that comes with working in a (very) shared space -somebody's piece exploded in the kiln and a piece landed in my pitcher and fused there.  Grrr.  I am told I should be able to use my dremel to grind it out.  If I do it carefully enough, it shouldn't wreck the glaze....we will see.

Linking this one up with:  Creative Friday at Natural Suburbia

Pottery and Cozy update...

OK, first order of business:  my mason jar cozy is done (knit using my handspun).

 I think it will work just perfectly to protect my mason jar (I use it for water or juice) in my bike basket when I take my lunch to work and sometimes on bike rides.

 I think it would be great for picnics too, if we have a few jars...to protect them from crashing against each other.  So I am making another and testing my pattern at the same time, and making some minor adjustments.

And then I will share it.  If I can figure out how to do it, I will have it as a download on my side bar...stay tuned...

Also...fresh from the kiln last night...

 A new batch of pendants...

 This one is my favourite!

Some candle cups...

My favourite mug yet...

...and a square plate with a little creature hiding inside it.  I love this new glaze at the studio.  It was a test batch so I really really hope they make some more of it.  It is my favourite glaze to date, and when people saw my mug come out they jumped all over the glaze and we are going to burn through it quickly.  I hope they took notes enough to reproduce it...

Linking up with Creative Friday and Fiber Arts Friday.  Wanna come join the fun?